The present invention relates to an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing and a printed material, and more specifically to an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, which is used for forming an image by thermally transferring coloring agents such as dye, etc. by means of a thermal head or the like, and is provided on the back thereof with a back surface layer having functions such as a writing property with the use of any kind of writing means and a property causing a stamp to be stuck thereon (hereinafter referred to as the "stamp adhesion property"), in addition to properties (for example, adaptability to a printer) which are inherently required for the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, as well as a printed material which is converted from such an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing.
The image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing and the printed material of the present invention may be used as a picture postcard without causing any problems.
On one surface of an image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, there has conventionally been formed a color receptor layer for the purpose of improving receptivity and retain ability of coloring agents such as dye or the like on the surface thereof. On the other surface of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing, there has also conventionally been formed a back surface layer for imparting a suitable lubricity, releasability and stain-resistance to the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing so as to improve a feeding property when automatically feeding papers in a printer, prevent the heat-fusing of the thermal transfer sheet and the image-receiving sheet, when the image-receiving sheet has inadvertently been supplied upside down into a printer, and prevent the dye or the like from transferring to the back surface of the image-receiving sheet, the deterioration of the image strength and a stain of the back surface thereof, when the image-receiving sheets after the thermal transfer printing had been stacked and stored.
There has recently been an increased demand on using the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing as a postcard such as a picture postcard. As a result, there has been necessity of thermally transfer-printing a colored image such as a color photo on the surface of the image-receiving sheet, and of writing an address and/or a message on the back surface of the image-receiving sheet, and sticking a stamp thereon, thereby imparting the writing property and the stamp adhesion property, to the image-receiving sheet, in addition to the above-described thermal transfer printing property.
As for means for supplying such a demand, a hydrophilic filler has been added to the back surface layer to form a porous body, thereby imparting a writing property with the use of an aqueous-ink type pen such as a fountain pen to the back surface layer as well as imparting the stamp adhesion property to the back surface layer, or inorganic or organic rigid filler has been added to the back surface layer, thereby imparting a writing property with the use of a graphite-type writing means such as a pencil to the back surface layer.
However, the above-described methods of imparting the writing property with the use of the aqueous-ink type pen to the back surface layer by forming the porous body with the addition of a normal hydrophilic filler to the back surface layer and imparting the property causing the stamp to be stuck thereon to the back surface layer, and imparting the writing property with the use of the graphite-type writing means to the back surface layer by adding the inorganic or organic rigid filler to the back surface layer, have not provided sufficient properties which have been applicable to a postcard on which not only the stamp has been stuck, but also a writing is made by any kind of writing means such the aqueous-ink type pen, the pencil or the like. When the above-mentioned properties have been imparted to the image-receiving sheet in accordance with the above-described methods, there have been caused problems of deteriorating lubricating property and other properties, which have inherently been required for the back surface of the image-receiving sheet for thermal transfer printing.